Packaging and handling sutures



Feb. 22, 1955 A. B. KENNISON ETAL 2,702,627

PACKAGING AND HANDLING SUTURES Filed Jan. 6, 1953 Tmzrl.

United States Patent PACKAGING AND HANDLING SUTURES Adrian B. Kennison,Plainfield, and Howard F. Zoller, North Plainfield, N. .L, assignors toEthicon Suture }.aboratories Incorporated, a corporation of New erseyApplication January 6, 1953, Serial No. 329,824

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-633) This invention relates to a package of suturesin which a plurality of folded sterile sutures is sealed in a containerand more particularly in a sealed glass tube. It is understood thatsutures are used under circumstances different from ligatures, but theword suture will be used hereinafter as a matter of convenience toindicate either sutures or ligatures.

Textile suture materials such as silk, cotton, nylon, linen, and othershave been packaged and supplied to the surgeon in the form of acontinuous strand on a spool; and although such practice has achievedacceptance by the surgical profession, certain disadvantages areinherent therein. It has been necessary to sterilize a spool of suchmaterial or to remove and cut the strand into lengths beforesterilization. This is time-consuming, inefiicient, and wasteful becauseunused cut lengths of suture material are frequently discarded. Thesterilization of a whole spool of textile suture material followed bythe cutting in the operating room of definite lengths from the spool isinconvenient since it adds another detail to the already complicatedprocedure of an operating room.

An object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive, simplehermetically sealed package containing a plurality of sutures quicklyand easily removable from the container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hermetically sealedpackage containing a plurality of folded sutures from which individualstrands may be removed with a minimum of entanglement and snarling ofthe sutures.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hermetically sealedpackage containing a plurality of folded sutures in which thestraightening of and the removal of folds and kinks from the sutures aswell as the retention of the sutures as a group, and the prevention ofthe (separation of single strands from each other is facilitate Theseand other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description and the accompanying drawing in which similarcharacters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a view in perspective of a hermetically sealed glass tubecontaining a plurality of folded sutures encased within a protectingjacket.

Figure 2 is a view in perspective of a broken suture tube illustratingseparation of the tube sections and the relative position of the foldedsutures and encasing jacket as well as the binding means.

Figure 3 is a view in perspective illustrating a plurality of foldedsutures secured together and encased by a protecting jacket.

Figure 4 is a view in perspective illustrating one method of folding aplurality of sutures prior to their insertion into a suture tube andshowing one means of securing the sutures together.

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a single folded suture strandillustrating one manner in which an individual strand may be folded.

Figure 6 is a view in perspective of a plurality of folded sutures andillustrating a preferred means of securing the sutures together.

This invention consists broadly of a hermetically sealed containercontaining a plurality of folded sutures, in which the sutures are heldtogether by a binding means "ice which alfords a means for withdrawingthe sutures from the container and facilitates straightening the foldedsutures and the consecutive removal of individual strands from the groupof sutures. invention the individual suture strands may have a surgicalneedle secured to one or each end.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, a plurality otsutures14 such as strands of silk, gut, cotton, linen, nylon and the like areencased within a jacket 12 made of heavy paper or similar material whoselength is approximately the length of the folded sutures. The purpose ofthe jacket 12 is to protect the sutures from cutting and fraying whenthe tube is broken. The sutures, having a length of from about 12 to 30or more inches, are folded a number of times, depending upon theirinitial lengths, so that they may be inserted within a glass tube 10which is about 3 to 5 inches in length. Generally, the overall length ofthe folded sutures is somewhat greater than one-half the length of theglass tube. One of the preferred methods of folding is shown in Figure 4and consists of folding the group of sutures by doubling them back uponthemselves as many times as is necessary to provide the desired overalllength. This method is more clearly illustrated in Figure 5 which showsan individual folded suture strand.

Prior to folding, the sutures are aligned with their ends about even andloosely secured at approximately the midpoint of their lengths by a tie16 or tab 18 looped around the suture group.- Although the tie or tab ispositioned at the approximate midpoint of the length of the sutures, itis apparent that it may be located in other positions. When each suturestrand has a needle attached to at least one end, the suture strands arepreferably arranged with the needles in juxtaposition, the group ofstrands folded adjacent to the needles and the binding means positionedat the fold adjacent to the needles. The tie, which may be constructedof the same material as the sutures themselves or from any other textilematerial such as cotton, linen, nylon or the like, has extending endswhich are sufficiently long to be grasped by the fingers. It ispreferred that the tie or tab, when the plurality of sutures have beenfolded the requisite number of times, be positioned at one end of thegroup of folded sutures. The tie, as shown in the drawings, is loopedaround the suture group in a simple knot; other looping and knottingarrangements which loosely secure the group of sutures and permitwithdrawal of individual strands may also be used. Regardless of how thesutures are folded or wherever the tie or tab is positioned, it isdesirable that the ends of the tie or tab be readily accessible when thesuture tube is broken. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the ends ofthe tie extend beyond the end of encasing jacket 12 and are readilyaccessible.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the sutures are looselybound and secured by a tab 18 having extending ends sufficiently long tobe grasped by the fingers. The tab may be constructed of aluminum orplastic or the like substantially inelastic material. Alternatively, thetab may be constructed, as illustrated in Fig. 6, of a fairly heavypaper having a centrally located strand of wire 20 to give rigidity. Thewidth of the tab is less than the internal diameter of the glass tubewithin which it is to be inserted. Such a tab may have printed on it thesize, type and length of the sutures.

As shown in the drawings, it is preferred that the binding means havetwo extending ends sufliciently long to be grasped by the fingers. Abinding means having one extending end is equally suitable, providing itsecures the suture group as a unit and permits withdrawal of individualstrands from the group and in this instance one end may be secured tothe surface of the extending end by adhesion, stapling or other means.

The tube may or may not contain a tubing fluid such as xylene or alcoholand is usually provided with a scored groove on the outer surface atapproximately the midpoint of its length to assist in breaking the tube.

To remove the sutures from the tube, the sutures are positioned so thatthe end of the suture group opposite the end secured by the tie is incontact with the tube end, the tube is broken along the scored line onits sur- In one embodiment of theface and the extending ends of the tieor tab are grasped and the group of sutures is withdrawn as a unit fromthe tube segment. Folds and kinks may be readily removed from thesutures by passing them between the thumb and forefinger of one handwhile holding the tie or tab in the other hand and this provides a groupof sutures folded and secured together substantially at their midsectionfrom which individual strands may be readily removed withoutentanglement of the remaining strands.

Although the description of the hermetically sealed container containinga plurality of folded sutures has been particularly directed to themodification in which the container is a hermetically sealed glass tube,it is also contemplated that the container may be fabricated of rigid,semirigid, or nonrigid, nonvitreous materials ineluding: cellolosicsubstances, such as paper, which may be coated to decrease permeabilityand assist in maintaining sterility; polymeric plastic materials,particularly of the thermoplastic type, such as polyethylenes,trifluorochloroethylene polymers, polyvinylchloride, copolymers ofpolyvinylchloride and polyvinylacetate or polyvinylbutyrate, which areheat sealable and available in transparent or translucent tubes andsheets; or resins, principally of a rigid or semirigid type such aspolymers of esters of acrylic acid and substituted acrylic acids such asmethylacrylic acid and particularly methyhnethacrylate polymers. It isalso contemplated that the container may be fabricated of athermoplastic or nonthermoplastic resin and be hermetically sealed byadhesive means. In all instances Where nonvitreous materials of theabove type are used in fabricating a container, it is necessary that thematerial from which the container is made be resistant to the usualsterilizing liquids and to sterilizing temperatures. Containers of thenonvitreous type may be tubular in shape and sealed at each end or maybe in the form of sealed envelopes.

Since the suture package is sterilized before use, it is apparent thatthe materials from which the container, tie, tab, and jacket are mademust be capable of withstanding sterilization. It is equally apparentthat they must also be compatible with any tubing fluid present in thecontainer.

. While the invention has been shown and described to some degree withparticularity and reference to specific embodiments, it is neverthelessto be understood that the invention is not to be limited to any of thespecific embodiments described and illustrated, but is to be construedbroadly and restricted only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hermetically sealed glass tube containing a plurality of textilesutures folded at least once and substantially encircled by andunattached to a protecting jacket of approximately the length of thefolded sutures; the

sutures being loosely tied as a group by a strand approximately at afold, said strand having ends extending from the group of sutures, thegroup of sutures being readily removable from the opened glass tube andfrom the protecting jacket, and intact, individual sutures beingremovable successively from the group.

2. A hermetically sealed glass tube containing a plurality of textilesutures folded at least once and substantially encircled by andunattached to a protecting jacket of approximately the length of thefolded sutures; the sutures being loosely secured as a group by a tabapproximately at a fold, said tab having ends extending from the groupof sutures, the group of sutures being readily removable from the openedglass tube and from the protecting jacket, and intact, individualsutures being removable successively from the group.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS634,235 Fishback Oct. 3, 1899 2,470,494 Kennison May 17, 1949 2,617,523Zoller Nov. 11, 1952

